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Dylan
Ricci
Dylan
Ricci was born in Rome in 1966, but was raised in Sydney, Australia after
his parents migrated there in 1972. He studied architecture in Sydney and
then in 1999 he traveled to Italy, where he recalls "hanging out ...
mostly in Rome and Florence". It was while in Florence that he
started studying sculpture, and it was during this time that his interest
in photography surfaced. He recalls being struck by the notion that the
human body, at its physical peak, is the most pure and beautiful form of
art. So, he began taking photographs of several male friends, most of whom
are athletes, and his talent and passion sprang forth from there.
About his work, Dylan explains, "What I try to capture with my
photographs is the purity of the male form as a piece of art, without
props or location. I focus on lighting and shadows and try to create a
sculpture from the body. I had seen and studied many photographers of the
male nude and found myself wanting to move away from many of the clichéd
images, depicting men with swords or medicine balls or other props, or
dressed in silly costumes, all of which I felt detracted from the purity
of the form. I also found myself lacking interest in outdoor nudes, men on
the beach, sitting on rocks, draped over horses, etc, again, all of which
I found a little too corny and contrived for my tastes. I actually tried
to do a few outdoor shoots at the beach, in the woods etc, but they were
all disasters.".
Dylan admires many photographers. Major influences are Herb Ritts (of
course, he says), Tom Bianchi, Irving Penn and Edward Weston. Each strikes
him in distinctly different ways but he feels that there is a
"definite purity of form that runs through all of their work".
Given the sheer strength of Dylan's work, it would be difficult to argue
that such a current does not run through his veins as well.
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